Channel Islands National Park is one of America’s newest and most complex national parks. As one of America’s “crown jewels,” this park will continue to serve as a model for park management. It is important that park resources, both terrestrial and marine, continue to be preserved and protected for future generations.
The current General Management Plan (GMP) was completed in 1985. Since that time much has occurred, such as completion of the park’s major land acquisition effort, expansion of park operations and visitor facilities, and an increase in the number of resource issues we are facing.
In 2001, the park began to revise the GMP that will help guide the park’s management policies and direction for the next 15-20 years. This new GMP will provide a vision for the park’s future, as well as guidance in resource preservation, protection, and management that will help achieve that vision. It will also help identify how the National Park Service may best protect cultural and natural resources while providing for visitor enjoyment of the park.
The park wants to communicate, consult, and cooperate with all individuals and groups of the interested public in this planning process. We urge you to take advantage of all opportunities in this process to share your vision and support for this magnificent national park. Your participation will ensure a strong public voice to help guide us and will result in a better vision than we alone could provide.
What is a general management plan?
GMPs identify the overall direction for future management of national parks. They take a long-range, broad, conceptual view, answering the question, “What kind of place do we want this park to be?” GMPs provide a framework for managers to use when making decisions about such issues as how best to protect resources, what levels and types of uses are appropriate, what facilities should be developed, and how people should access the park. All concepts, strategies, and actions in a general management plan must be consistent with the reasons for the park’s establishment—the park’s purpose, significance, and mission. Federal legislation, such as the National Park Service Organic Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act, and National Park Service policies also direct what the plan can and cannot consider.
The Channel Islands General Management Plan will not resolve all the issues facing the park, provide detailed facility designs or management actions, or guarantee funding for the park. Rather, this plan will describe the general path the National Park Service intends to follow in managing the park over the next 15 to 20 years. Desired resource conditions and visitor experiences that would be appropriate for each part of the park and the strategies for achieving those conditions, will be identified. General locations where certain types of development would be appropriate will also be identified. Specific questions regarding how these desired conditions will be achieved will be answered in new or revised implementation plans, such as resource management plans and interpretive plans that follow the general management plan.
To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and National Park Service policy, the GMP will be combined with an environmental impact statement (EIS). The GMP/EIS will identify significant issues and concerns, present a reasonable range of management alternatives, and analyze the environmental impacts of each of the alternatives.
Why does the park revise its GMP?
The National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 (P.L.95-625) requires the preparation and timely revision of GMPs for each unit of the national park system. NPS’s current GMP was first completed in 1980 and was amended in 1984 and 1985. Conditions have substantially changed since 1985. Among the significant changes that have occurred over the past 16 years: the National Park Service has acquired new lands on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands, the condition of several resources has declined (particularly in the marine waters surrounding the islands), several actions are underway to eliminate nonnative species and restore altered ecosystems, park visitation has tripled, and recreational uses and use patterns have changed.
How can you get involved?
Public involvement is critical to the success of the planning effort. Public input will help the planning team and decision-makers learn about the concerns, issues, expectations, and desires of visitors, interested citizens, people with traditional cultural ties to the park, interest groups, and others. The planning team will share information and seek public input at key points through the planning process. A variety of methods will be used to encourage public feedback, including publishing newsletters, sending public releases to the media, holding public meetings, and posting information on the Internet.
For more information about the planning process contact visit .
Please let us know your concerns, issues, and thoughts on what should be addressed in the GMP. The Channel Islands National Park planning team appreciates your interest and looks forward to hearing from you.
